Armenian Genocide (0)

Armenian Genocide
Tallinn 2011
Contest
Introducion………………………………………………………..……………………………3
1. The Armenian Genocide and its causes ………………….………………………………….4
1.1. Armenian Genocide………………………………….…………………………………..4
1.2. The Armenian Massacre…………………………………………………………………4
1.3. Young Turks and the Young Turk Revolution …………………………………………..5
1.4. Armenian Genocide, 1905-1917 period …………………………………………………5
1.5. Death marches…………………………………………………………………………...5
1.6. Extermination camps…………………………………………………………………….6
2. The consequences of Armenian Genocide…………………………………………………..7
2.1. Death and migration ……………………………………………………………………..7
2.2. Cultural loss……………………………………………………………………………...7
2.3. Turkish denial……………………………………………………………………………7
Summary……………………………………………………………………………………….8
The list of used materials………………………………………………………………………9
Introduction
I chose this theme cause I think it is interesting and definitely it brodens my mind. I have heard about Armenian Genocide before and it always seemed interesting, but I have never read anything related to this subject , so I thought this is a good chance to acquaint myself with it.
The purpouse of my report is to give an overview of Armenian Genocid, its causes and consequences. In my report I also provide a brief overview of the Armenian Massacre, the Young Turks, the Young Turk Revolution and ordeals that Armenians had to go through .
1. The Amenian Genocide and its causes

Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide (also known Armenian Holocaust) took place during World War I (1915-1917), when Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated and deported by the „Young Turk“ goverment. The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th Century. During the genocide two million Armenians living in Turkey were eliminated from their historic homeland through forced deportations and massacres. One and a half million Armenians were killed , out of a total two and a half million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. ( Fact Sheet: Armenian Genocide) (Wikipedia, 2011) (UHRC, 2011)
First the Armenians in the army were disarmed, placed into labor battalions, and then killed and then the Armenian political and intellectual leaders were rounded up on April 24, 1915, and then killed. Finally , the remaining Armenians were called from their homes , told they would be relocated, and then marched off to concentration camps in the desert between Jerablus and Deir Ez-Zor where they starved and thirsted to death in the burning sun. (Fact Sheet: Armenian Genocide) (Wikipedia, 2011) (ANI, 2011)
1.2. The Armenian Massacre
The Armenian Massacre started in the early 1900's, when secret meetings began to be held by the Turks. It has been quoted that a man named Dr. Nazim had once said "If we are going to do something like the Adana massacre of 1909, here and there , the result will do us more harm than good." Dr. Nazim goes on to say that the Turks would alert the Arabs and the Kurds and that therefore the danger would be multiplied. In his final words at these meetings he had said that "We (the Turks) must not leave a single Armenian alive in our country , we must kill the Armenian name." The next thing that they did was take a vote regarding the extermination of the Armenians. The results were disastrous for the Armenians when they voted that not a single Armenian should be left alive. (Angelfire, 2011) (Wikipedia, 2011)
1.3. Young Turks and the Young Turk Revolution
Young Turk Revolution found place in 1908-1909, it was the first bourgeois revolution in Turkey. The Young Turks were a group of intellectuals of different ideological backgrounds who united against the authoritarian regime of Sultan Abdulhamid. (Stjepanovi, 2006)
The main revolution struggles took place in the areas of ecclesiastic politics in Jerusalem. With its Armenian and Greek Patriarchates and the Chief Rabbinate, Jerusalem became a central point of the struggles among the Jews , Armenians, and Greeks in the Ottoman Empire. (Matossian, 1994)
1.4. Armenian Genocide, 1905-1917 period
On November 2, 1914, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I on the side of the Central Powers. The Middle Eastern became the center of action of World War I. The strugglers were the Ottoman Empire, with some help from the other Central Powers, and mainly the British and the Russians among the Allies of World War I. The conflicts at the Caucasus Campaign, the Persian Campaign and the Gallipoli Campaign affected seriously areas, where the Armenian people lived. Before the declaration of war at the Armenian congress at Erzurum the Ottoman government requested the Ottoman Armenians to contribute the conquest of Transcaucasia by inciting a rebellion with the Russian Armenians against the tsarist army in the event of a Caucasus front . (Wikipedia, 2011)
1.5. Death marches
The Armenians were marched out to the Syrian town of Deir Ez-Zor and the surrounding desert. Many evidences suggests that the Ottoman government did not provide any facilities or supplies to retain the Armenians during their deportation, nor when they arrived . Ottoman troops, who escorted the Armenians not only allowed others to rob, kill, and rape the Armenians, but often did these things themselves. Marching into the desert hundreds of thousands of Armenians died. (Wikipedia, 2011)
1.6. Extermination camps
I t is believed that 25 major concentration camps existed, under the command of Şükrü Kaya. Most of the camps were situated near Turkey's modern Iraqi and Syrian borders. Some camps were only temporary and mostly for transit . Others (Radjo, Katma and Azaz) were used only for mass graves. The camps Lale, Tefridje, Dipsi, Del-El and Ra's al-'Ain were built specifically for those who had a life expectancy of a few days . (Wikipedia, 2011)
2. The consequences of Armenian Genocide
2.1. Death and migration
During the Armenian Genocide one and a half million Armenians were killed, out of a total two and a half million Armenians. Many Armenians ran away to survive and the others were eliminated from their historic homeland. Those who survived were forced into exile and have never been able to return . An entire people, and their history, were virtually erased within years . Because of the genocide the Armenian population decreased largely. (Dearborn, 1999) (UHRC, 2011) (Goldberg, 1998)
It takes away the very existence of the victims, thereby making it impossible to mourn their loss and causing serious psychological consequences. (Hovannisan, 1999)
2.2. Cultural loss
The arranged destruction Armenian cultural objects, religious, historical and communal heritage was another purpose of both the genocide itself and the post-genocidal campaign of denial. Armenian churches and monasteries were destroyed or changed into mosques, Armenian cemeteries flattened, and in several cities (e.g. Van), Armenian quarters were destroyed. Beside from the deaths, Armenians lost their wealth and property without compensation. (Wikipedia, 2011) (UHRC, 2011)
2.3. Turkish denial
Today the Turkish government actively denies the Armenian Genocide and claims that Armenians were only removed from the eastern "war zone". The Armenian Genocide, however , occurred all over Anatolia (todays Turkey) and not just in the so-called "war zone". In recent years, it has faced repeated calls to accept the events as genocide. To date , twenty countries have officially recognized the events of the period as genocide and most historians accept this view. (Wikipedia, 2011) (UHRC, 2011) (Armaniapedia, 2011)
Summary
Armenian Genocide was an awful event. Because of it many people died or were tortured by the Turks. About ona and a half million Armenians were killed and others were eliminated from their historic homeland. Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated and deported by the „Young Turk“ goverment.
Today Turkish goverment and many others does not even admit that Armenian Genocide really happened , although there is photos , documents and literature about it. However most of the historians accept that Armenian Genocide really took place and they confirm Turks guilt.
The list on used materials
ANI. 2011. Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Genocide. http://www.armenian-genocide.org/genocidefaq.html 27.04.2011
Dearborn. 1999. Fact Sheet: Armenian Genocide. http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/armenian/ facts/genocide.html 27.04.2011
Wikipedia. Armenian Genocide. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide #Hamidian_Massacres. 2C_1894.E2.80.931896 27.04.2011
Wikipedia. Young Turk Revolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Turk_Revolution 27.04.2011
Stjepanovi, D. The Young Turk Revolution and the 1908 Annexation of Bosnia -Herzegovina. Balkanalysis. http://www.balkanalysis.com/blog/2006/04/25/the-young-turk-revolution-and-the-1908-annexation-of-bosnia-herzegovina/ 27.04.2011
Matossian, B, D. 1994. The Young Turk Revolution. Its Impact on Religious Politics of Jerusalem (1908-1912). Jerusalem quarterly. http://www.jerusalemquarterly.org/images /ArticlesPdf/40_The_Young_Turk.pdf 27.04.2011
United Human Rights Council . Armenian Genocide. http://www.unitedhumanrights.org /genocide/armenian_genocide.htm 27.04.2011
Angelfire. The Armenian Genocide. http://www.angelfire.com/ab/armeniangenocide/ 27.04.2011
Hovannisan, R, G. 1999. The Reality and Relevance of the Armenian Genocide. UCLA. http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/history/centers/armenian/source109.html 27.04.2011
Armeniapedia. Turkish Denial of Armenian Genocide. http://www.armeniapedia.org/ index.php?title=Turkish_Denial_of_Armenian_Genocide 27.04.2011
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